Rural Ohio Students Built an AI Reading App. Here's What They Actually Learned.
Seven teenagers at Ridgewood High School in eastern Ohio developed an AI-powered literacy app that won recognition through the Presidential AI Challenge, a federal initiative connecting K-12 students with technology companies. The app, called Reading Reimagined, uses AI to personalize stories, support vocabulary development, and provide accessibility features for struggling readers.
The project started in an AI course taught by Lester McCurdy, who had no background in artificial intelligence. When students learned about the challenge, they identified a local problem: more than half of fourth graders in their district were on reading improvement plans.
From Skepticism to Problem-Solving
Recent graduate Autumn Joyce said she and her classmates initially viewed AI negatively, associating it with cheating and academic dishonesty. That changed once they started brainstorming how AI could address their community's literacy challenge.
Building the app required students to learn reading science deeply. They interviewed teachers across the district, studied literacy standards, researched phonics and dyslexia supports, and tested multiple platforms. One student with a disability helped shape the accessibility features. Others handled coding, content design, and communications.
Joyce said the work taught her to be specific when communicating with AI tools. "You just have to be really specific," she said.
The process looked less like a traditional classroom and more like a startup. When students hit a technical roadblock waiting for outside support, they used AI to troubleshoot problems themselves rather than pausing the project.
Teacher Mindset Matters More Than Expertise
McCurdy's lack of AI background turned out to be irrelevant. Dr. Bryan Raach, director of student services at Ridgewood Local School District, said the instructor's mindset was what mattered.
"The person and their mindset prepares you to teach this class," Raach said. "You have to have the right person."
McCurdy's role was creating conditions for students to discover answers themselves, not providing them. He framed a broader lesson about AI in education: "If you're going to let AI do your work, you're training it to replace you. If you're using it to get yourself better, then it becomes a powerful tool."
Recent graduate Addison Lahmers said the experience shifted how she sees AI. "We could make a change," she said. "It's nice to be able to have a say in what is being produced."
Partnerships Filled Resource Gaps
External partnerships with Ohio-based AI company AI OWL, Intel, and cloud services provider NWN made the project possible. Raach said these connections helped Ridgewood provide opportunities that would have been difficult to create internally.
Andrew Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer at NWN, said education leaders should frame AI as an access and opportunity problem, not a compliance issue. "I see AI as an access and opportunity problem to solve in this setting, not as a compliance and a guardrail," he said.
Trace Johnson, president and co-founder of AI OWL, credited local leadership as the primary driver of success. "They had a Brian Raach and they had a Lester McCurdy," Johnson said, noting that outside partners should not attempt to replace educators who understand their students and communities.
Innovation Beyond Tech Hubs
Raach repeatedly emphasized that Ridgewood's success challenges assumptions about where AI innovation happens. Rural districts face funding limits, staffing challenges, and geographic isolation - yet these students presented their work to technology executives and senators in Washington, D.C.
Joyce said one student called that presentation the most meaningful experience of her high school career. Both Joyce and Lahmers said the project's greatest value was confidence - in presenting work, solving problems, and knowing their ideas deserved attention.
"We're capable of doing this," Joyce said. "It doesn't matter that we're girls from a tiny school."
Neither student plans a career in tech. Both said AI coursework strengthened their ability to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems - skills relevant far beyond programming.
For educators considering AI for Education, the Ridgewood experience suggests that teacher mindset and local problem-solving matter more than technical expertise. McCurdy's approach - treating the classroom as a space for discovery rather than instruction - mirrors what AI Learning Path for Teachers emphasizes about facilitating student learning with emerging tools.
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